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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26986657">Dark Paradise</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/tragicallywicked/pseuds/tragicallywicked'>tragicallywicked</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Jasper &amp; Alice Verses [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Twilight Series - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alice is not a vampire — yet, Alternate Universe - 1920s, F/M, Human/Vampire AU, Jasper on the other hand</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 22:55:16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,485</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26986657</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/tragicallywicked/pseuds/tragicallywicked</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When the events that unfold the Brandon family lead up to have Alice be sent to a mental institution, Jasper Whitlock is there to intervene and give Mary Alice a different start to eternal life.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Alice Cullen/Jasper Hale</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Jasper &amp; Alice Verses [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1921054</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>28</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Welcome to my human/vampire alternative universe. The Jalice fam literally made me do this (I'm looking at you girls, and you especially irrelevanttous), but it was so, so, so worth it! It's a fun thing to write and the idea totally came from the amazing allicekitty13, so thanks for letting me use the idea! This won't be a long fic, but I sure hope you enjoy it. Good reading!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Biloxi, Mississippi.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Biloxi had a substantial community of 10,937 people. In the previous century, the city had developed rapidly, given its proximity to the sea and the railroads leading there. The seafood processing market supported its expansion and drew European immigrants to relocate there. The well-known families in the town had been the ones to get into such trade at the right time. Fifty years later, it wasn't any longer a market any could walk into.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Brandon family was one of Biloxi's founder families, who had moved there even before its seafood demand. Their wealth grew from jewelry, and that established them in an immeasurable position in the city.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Lilian wedded Edgar Brandon in an arranged marriage, it was because her father owed the man a large amount of money. Lilian was a stunning woman, very short and sweet. She was also much younger than Edgar, but that didn't hold the man. It wasn't a matrimony out of love. It was mere profit and convenience. Lilian's father obliged to close his dept and Edgar necessitated a wife. It worked for all parts—except for Lilian.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The woman's life was sorrowful for the most part, but Lilian was an optimistic spirit. She sought to find delight in the small things, cherishing any moment she could grasp. She would often tell herself she was fortunate to have a suitable roof over her head and confidence that there was no need for her to worry with a husband. Her gratitude for even the most challenging times appeared to be rewarded when her first daughter was born. Mary Alice was everything Lilian had desired.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>From her birth, in 1901, Lilian knew Mary Alice wasn't like everyone else. She wasn't mistaken, for the girl had the most exceptional gift. But that was something they would only find many years later.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With her birth, things quieted with Edgar. Mother and daughter were inseparable, but he was fond of becoming a father. He settled into a family man state with dexterity. It wasn't so hard on him as most of the childcare befell on the mother and their servants—which they had many, as a traditional and wealthy Southern family would have. Lilian was never troubled about taking care of her child, though. Most high-class women would regularly leave such ordinary activities to their servers, from breastfeeding to playing with the baby. But Lilian had never been similar to the rest of the women. She was generous to each and every servant in their household—much different from her husband's behavior toward them. And Lilian prized Mary Alice with all her heart, so she cared for the baby like a mother should.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Alice grew up to be an adoring child, and very much like Lilian had predicted, she wasn't like the rest of the ladies her age. Alice was gifted in ways no one but her own mother could understand. It had sprung with dull things, like the rain.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We should bring an umbrella, mama." Alice would inform, innocent like a child, ignorant such prophecies weren't typical for all.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The skies are clear, Mary Alice." Her father scolded, always so thoroughly irritated when she would come assuming that there was something bound to occur.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I have seen it will, p—"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Enough!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Surely enough, they would be scrambling back home, drenched in pouring mist, to her father's hatred. Lilian understood Alice had gifts, but she was also conscious of its entanglements.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She would often try to trail it off to Edgar, telling him that it was solely a child's theories, trying to amend the frail relationship. Mary Alice's predictions drew Edgar more and more apart from them, especially because Lilian sought to often shield her daughter. He worried about status, about Alice stating something in front of people other than her family.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What will they recollect, Lilian? That she is mental!" Alice had eavesdropped him shout it once, although it had been no news since the sight was something she'd seen before.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Alice was young, but she understood there that her father was not one she could trust, not similar to how she esteemed her mother. Lilian knew that too well already.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It stays between us, my darling." She urged Alice once, made her promise even, that they would keep such visions between them. It became their own mother and daughter moment. Alice cherished every single one of her dreams because there was no judgment with her mom, only understanding. Things were fine for a few years.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In 1910, Cynthia was born into the Brandon family, which triggered more and more visions in Alice. She adored her sister, cared for her madly. Still, the images were more potent each time. It was more laborious to conceal from her father when the incidents were so persistent.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Edgar had given up on his bond with Mary Alice long before. He couldn't ever entirely concede her. But he got along with Cynthia. She was his little girl, and his oldest daughter's delusions made him grow weary for how that could impact their family and Cynthia's life. It enerved him as well how Lilian invariably seemed to protect Mary Alice in her hallucinations. He had grown exhausted of it all and conspired to end the derangement before people gossiped even further.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was the only thing Alice still truly mourn: not being able to save her mother.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She had attempted to warn her of the visions, but it hadn't been sufficient. At the turn of the decade, her mother had passed away, and her life got more and more difficult.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Six months after the befalling, </span>
  <em>
    <span>everything</span>
  </em>
  <span> shifted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jasper Whitlock was a distinctly young man, one of the most striking men Alice had ever seen in her entire life. He served at a local country club and kept mostly to himself. She had seen him for the first time in a dream. Alice knew her visions worked inexplicably, some to come true while others didn't. But she had always hoped to meet the enigmatic man. It happened at a New Year's Eve party when he was working at the bar.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Edgar had asked that Alice go fetch him and his new wife a drink. Alice had been wholly annoyed that her father didn't even wait for her mother's body to cool down before getting himself another bride. She speculated that the woman wasn't a newcomer into their life. To her credit, Alice recognized that the woman would treat Cynthia like a pet. Her little sister had been through enough with the loss of their mother. But Anna-Marie was always indifferent toward Mary Alice. She knew that the oldest loyalty would perpetually be to her deceased mother.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Alice had no option but to play along, pretend she was alright with all that. She was still devasted, but at last meeting the dark-eyed man seemed to ease her heart.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was tall, much taller than her—not that it was that much harder when it came to Alice, as she had inherited her mother's shortness. But there was something about the man that was so strangely captivating. She knew well the people in the city to be informed he wasn't from around.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was delighted that he, of all her visions, had come true.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You've kept me waiting long enough." She couldn't help but tell him, much to the man's puzzle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm sorry, ma'am," He tried to glance around, pondering for a moment if he had neglected her request. But it seemed improbable that he would have overlooked her. "Is there something I can do for you, ma'am?" His southern accent could have tricked the most unattentive ones, but not Alice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You're not from here." He laughed at her judgment, shaking his head, still in evident agitation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No, ma'am. I'm from Houston, Texas." She beamed at the confirmation of her suspicious.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That's far from here."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I've been moving around a lot." He explained, clearing his throat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Do you not like your home?" Alice couldn't sustain the curiosity for the man she had only viewed in a trance.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"On the contrary, ma'am. I miss Texas every day." She sensed it was a subject he couldn't truly get into, so she nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before she could fire him with another query, Anna-Marie came to locate her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What is taking you so long, Mary Alice?" The woman interrogated, looking back at the man with sheer disdain. "We are leaving at once."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"But I was about to fetch your drinks—"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I feel indisposed, let's go." She ordered, dragging Alice along. She only had time to eye back the man at the bar with apologetically eyes. "Didn't your mother teach you not to mingle with the help? Please, Mary Alice, you will only damage our name even further."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Alice saw the boy again at the cemetery two weeks later. It was a hazy afternoon, and she had resolved to avoid her stepmother's tutorings to go visit her mother's tomb. She had been missing her utterly much lately, so she determined it was due time for a visit.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She brought her flowers and sat by the grass, telling the memory of her beloved mother how life had hastily developed after her departure.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You shouldn't be wandering alone, ma'am." The voice mustering behind her startled Alice, making her spurt to her feet. She spotted the man from the party in front of her. She hadn't heard him approach her. "It's going to get dark quicker because of the clouds."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Goodness, you startled me." She still felt her heart rushing against her chest, a hand halting there as if to ease it from jumping out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm sorry, ma'am." He said respectfully.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's alright, sir. I didn't see you coming." Past the shock of seeing him, Alice felt much calmer now. Almost as an instant waved of tranquility had flooded over her. She didn't understand how the man's presence brought her such profound reassurance. Alice was gratified to see him again. It still bewildered her that he had shown up in one of her reveries, and yet she had no idea who he was. It was brand new to her. Before the mysterious blonde, there were no other strangers that Alice had dreams about. It was always about events involving herself or her relatives. He was a brand new puzzle to her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a long silence between them. Alice had to force herself to glance down when her cheeks flustered at his piercing dark eyes. She found herself a lot more bashful than when they had last met.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I imagined it was best to let you know twilight will be descending shortly. It is not safe for a lady to be out unaccompanied in such hours." Alice felt the compassion and the concern in his tone, and a smile danced her lips.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thank you, sir. I tend to lose track of time while I'm here." She was conscious of how morbid it all sounded, but there with her mother was the only place Alice felt solace.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It hasn't been long, I see." The man motioned the grave, and Alice didn't have to look back to know what he was talking about. She nodded, the tightness in her soul so evident every time she spoke of Lilian.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"She was a loving mother."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I imagine so, it brings you here to share the afternoon with her." At the reveal that the man knew she had been at the cemetery for long, she eyed him confusedly. He sensed the need to clarify and pointed the house in the far back of the property. "I take care of the grounds here, I saw when you arrived after lunchtime."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Ah!" Alice nodded, looking at the modest estate. It didn't look cozy or welcoming, but she presumed it was all he could afford. It was a misfortune that people like her father had so much and pitied none to assist them who lacked more. "I find nowadays that spending time away from home is more pleasant." It helped her endure Anna-Marie and her father.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Do you not like your home?" Alice had asked him this exact same question the day they had met, so she had to grin that he now did the same.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Not any longer, I'm afraid." Even throughout the pain, Alice managed to give the man a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Forgive me for asking, but does it have anything to do with the woman that day?" She nodded sighing. Alice figured if he wasn't from around, there was a slight prospect that the man knew the events that had unfolded with her family. As well known as they were, news were quick to get old.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm afraid my stepmother has been in my father's life long before my mother's departure." That was something Alice had never admitted to anyone else, but perhaps because he was a stranger and an outsider, he wouldn't chatter. Even if he did, the sole presence of the man there brought Alice encouragement to speak up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm sorry she has been putting you through misery, ma'am." It seemed the idea displeased him, as a frown stretched across his eyebrows.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, she handles my sister well, that is more than I could ask for." Her heart, always so kind, surfaced when it came to her young sister. "And please, you don't have to call me ma'am. It's awfully polite and nice, I relish it. But please call me Alice."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The man nodded, and for the first time, she saw a smile sway on his lips.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Alice."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Immediately she remembered her vision. This was it. They were there by her mother's burial, and her name dance on his lips. It felt like a strange pain on her chest back then, and at the same, an utter joy to hear her name roll out of his tongue. But now, the sound made her heart hop a beat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Just as spontaneously as she had recalled the last vision, a new one seemed to invade her like a strong wave. Her eyes petrified and her breath got caught, like Alice was being transported to another dimension, a new time. It wasn't far ahead, no. They were still at the same place, with the same clothes. It was just minutes in front of </span>
  <em>
    <span>now</span>
  </em>
  <span>. And Alice had never seen such a clear and robust flash.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Jasper</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was telling her his name, but she was uttering it before he did in the vision. It made her heart lap faster than before. Alice felt the world lifting with the familiarity of that name.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When she returned, the man eyed her not with appalling fear but instead moving worry. She felt immediately calm. It was all so unusual. Alice never had visions so close to the current time, and they never brought her any kind of peace.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Are you alright?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Jasper." She mumbled. Alice only remarked his cold grip of her arm when it stiffened slightly against her skin. She hadn't realized until then how chilly the night was falling.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"How—?" He seemed even more perplexed, but this time there was also curiosity in his gaze.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The people that came across her </span>
  <em>
    <span>talents</span>
  </em>
  <span> never showed so curious. Most were appalled, fearful. Her father especially. Her mother had been the only one to understand such gifts—or burdens that were trust upon Alice. But when she found his eyes, she could see that same abrupt understanding.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I— Well, it isn't something easy to explain." She swallowed harshly. When his hand left her arm, Alice felt frustrated and on the verge of protesting the lack of contact. "I assure you I'm alright."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"How did you know my name?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Of course, he wouldn't just ignore how she had mumbled that word now. But she wasn't one to lie or find it simple to come up with justifications on the spot.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Perhaps I can tell you another time? It </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> getting awfully late." Her father wouldn't exactly be concerned, but Alice had to try and escape the conversation as fast as she could.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Another time then." He nodded, easily convinced. It was almost as if he could sense her turmoil. Alice relaxed again, smiling graciously. She bent down to assemble her purse from the floor, and Jasper awaited. "Could I walk you home, Alice?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That would be lovely, thank you."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They were quiet most of the walk, except for some moments where she would comment on something along their route or point out a home as being from someone her family knew. Alice had no clue how much Jasper knew of Biloxi or how long he had been there. Perhaps he was well aware of it all, but he was polite enough not to say anything.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"This is me, thank you for walking me." She eyed the window to spot her stepmother standing there, waiting for her return. When her eyes traveled back to Jasper, he seemed to have seen her too. "I better be going, she'll get mad I'm out here so late."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jasper nodded quietly, but before Alice could step out, he said, "I hope not to get you in any trouble."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Do not worry, she's harmless." Or so, Alice thought.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was another two-week gap until she was permitted outside the house again. Anna-Marie had been vile to see her with the boy from the party again—the help as she had referred to him. Alice ventured to assert that he was solely being a gentleman and walking her home. Still, Anna-Marie didn't fancy the guy, and she didn't cherish that Alice wouldn't heed to her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Your mother is </span>
  <em>
    <span>dead</span>
  </em>
  <span>, I am your mother now and you'll do as I say, Mary Alice!" She had barked at her once. Edgar and Cynthia had been in the room, but her father didn't flinch. On the other hand, Cynthia came up to Alice's bed that night, while the oldest one was still sobbing and hugged her big sister tightly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's alright, puppet." Alice had assured Cynthia's worries. It was no fair for a child to be going through that. Alice was almost nineteen. She could endure it. Cynthia was only nine; she didn't have to take it. "She must be upset with something else, that's all." As much as Alice abhorred Anna-Marie, she would do anything if the woman kept treating her sister nicely.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Grounding Alice gave the stepmother a fake taste of power over her. She thought that was making progress when all it did was drive Alice further on edge. Her visions had been more constant than ever in the past weeks. She didn't know whether to attribute it to being surrounded by her mother's memories or meeting Jasper.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They ran into each other again by the beach.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was yet another cloudy day, this time in the early morning hours. Alice wanted to breathe fresh air after being stuck indoors for so long and that had always been a place she and her mother would come to together.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was astonished to find Jasper there, removing a boat off the water with tremendous efficiency. He seemed to notice her arrival as he let go of his duty to find her gaze. His eyes seemed so worried, and he rushed up to meet her halfway.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I haven't seen you around in days. Did something—?" Perhaps it was the sensation of someone so concerned about her that drove Alice on the verge of tears or the fact she was exhilarated to see him again. Still, she threw herself in that stranger's arms without wavering. He, who felt so familiar to her, held her tightly close against his firm chest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He let her cry, while his finger brushed her long locks, the other hand stroking her arm.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When her cries quieted, Jasper spoke again, "Did she hurt you?" There was no response, and he seemed to tense up immediately. "This was my fault, I'm so sorry—"He looked down and had to stop himself, noticing Alice had gone into a trance state again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This had been the ghastliest vision of all. Every time Jasper touched her, welcomed a new layer to be skinned. She saw him again, but this time he was changed. It was dark in the night and Jasper felt and </span>
  <em>
    <span>looked</span>
  </em>
  <span> like some sort of beast. Alice followed him with her eyes, but she wasn't really there. It was just him, chasing after a man.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He trapped him, an alley with no exit. There was an intense burn on her throat and Alice realized she felt Jasper's pulsing want for </span>
  <em>
    <span>something</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Her petrified eyes observed as he went for the kill, lunging on his neck and sucking every last drop of blood to his delight. Only then his eyes changed color, not pitch black anymore, but red instead.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a gasp stuck in her throat that escaped when Alice recovered to existence. Jasper seemed as horrified as she did. This time there was no understanding but worry surely crossed his features. Still, he stood there beside her, hand on her arm in the most shielding way.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You're—You're a vampire." She panted, still in shock with the revelation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jasper let it sink into her and, only after a moment, he agreed. There was still apprehension and concern in his expression, but it softened.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"H—How?" That there were things in the world Alice couldn't honestly describe, she was well aware already. But the feasibility of supernatural beings of </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> kind was not something the brunette had anticipated to be real.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"How do you know things I haven't told you?" He asked back and Alice took a minute to contemplate. There were indeed many things that were beyond her explanation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I can see things…" Jasper had suspected that was the case, but he didn't tell her that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"There are many things that are arduous to explain." She could agree to that, so Alice nodded as he carried one. "The things you see, what I am, surely fit into that."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Are you going to—?" He didn't need to see the future to know what Alice was about to ask him, so Jasper shook his head. "Why?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I couldn't ever hurt you like that, Alice." His words made her heart skip a strong beat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ever since the revelation, she had been halted in the same position of shock and terror, but when his hand reached for hers, Alice relaxed nearly instantly. Could it be that the man, a </span>
  <em>
    <span>vampire</span>
  </em>
  <span>, was able to bring her such harmony with his mere presence? Was he that right for her?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They didn't keep their encounters a secret after that. The two would spend hours talking, strolling around town and often sitting together at the park, on cloudy and rainy days. Anna-Marie got word of that quickly, but she had been holding her reigns back as Edgar had requested.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The delusions have stopped. We can endure the boy." He had told her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But they didn't' know that the visions had only grew more regular and more tangible. Alice just happened to often be by Jasper when they transpired. He would often try his best to make it more discreet. The man would hook her hand around his arm and walk her. Even when her visions blinded her, Jasper was there for her as an allowance.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was one of the visions that changed everything for them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Alice had seen her father paying a man for the </span>
  <em>
    <span>accident</span>
  </em>
  <span>. In the image she saw plainly how he thanked him for the outstanding service of making his wife disappear. That sent Alice on a spiral. She waited a few days to see if he was scheming something against his current wife, but another vision came, where Anna-Marie and Edgar rejoiced, finally putting the past behind. Only a day after that, Alice discovered her mother's case had been labeled an accident and not a murder. They were abandoning the investigations. No one would be seeking to find who was driving the car that ran her over.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Alice knew.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She couldn't protect her mother, but maybe she could do something about it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Alice, you have to think this through." Jasper tried to put discernment into her plan of going to the police. "He could have bribed the men there as well."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I </span>
  <em>
    <span>have to</span>
  </em>
  <span> do something, Jasper. He had my mother killed." She was hopeless, anxious. And by now, Alice knew he could feel it all, as the vampire had confided to her of his own unique skills.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's too dangerous." He tried to deliberate, but Alice wouldn't cave.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Ask me anything, but I cannot let him get away with that."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jasper knew better, in these three months they had grown extremely close to one another, than to bet against Alice—or so much as try to stop her. She would do that, and all he could do was reassure she was protected in the process.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was unwise of Alice to think that anyone in town would believe her, especially the police. The mockery of her accusations was quickly spread around town and that brought up the evilest in her father.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You have gone mental, Mary Alice, and I will take care of that!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She had seen the vision.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Herself in an institution, hair cut short, skin pale and shaky with the methods that slowly dispatched her mind. The display of it back in her mind made Alice shudder. She would never have considered her father would have anything to do with that. But the vision had appeared to her years ago when none of this had yet unfolded. And now new possibilities presented themselves.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jasper marched into their home when the storm had settled at the Brandon's. In the middle of the night, he demanded to immediately speak with her father in private.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I have come to ask for your daughter's hand, Mr. Brandon."</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hellooooo, darling dears! Jalice Week is over so the regular fic schedule is back to normal. Hope you all enjoy this one!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The events that motivated Jasper to flee his coven were all somewhat a blur.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was partner and second in command to another vampire who had been leading, and winning, vampire wars for decades. During the Civil War, Maria had turned him when Jasper, then Major Whitlock, was assisting women and children in cities' evacuation. They had spent over fifty years united, but Jasper was weary of hostilities.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It wasn't so much that he aspired to have a conventional human life, but, as an empath, he desired to be away from turmoil and misery on all fronts he converted to.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Peter, his friend and one of their soldiers, helped him escape when he too was evading the army. He had fallen in love with Charlotte, another soldier in their newborn army. He wanted to subsist with her in a sober life. Jasper didn't intend to get in the way of the duo, but he was desperate to leave, so he accompanied. They traveled for moons on end until they resolved for Biloxi.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The city wasn't exactly where one would find vampires residing, but there they were, the three outsiders.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Peter and Charlotte took a residence downtown while Jasper opted for something more lowkey. He was a keeper at the cemetery behind the town's church, which provided him with a place to live at meager costs. Many seemed to be worrisome about residing in a graveyard, but Jasper wasn't afraid of demons. He was a much more threatening predator than any unliving haunt.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jasper still required to feed and that granted some strain given they had chosen to live there. He didn't desire to be hauling undesirable attention to them. He often wandered to the nearby towns to serve from the locals there, endeavoring to swerve such suspiciousness.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In Biloxi, he kept to himself and guarded the premises. When the sun was down, Jasper worked the bar at the local country club. It wasn't much of a nuisance and supplied him with money to store. As a vampire, he didn't honestly worry about having currency at hand. Still, it had proven to be handy in case he resolved to move again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Those plans went down the drain on New Year's Eve when he first met Alice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It had been a dull night. The man had spotted his next prey in the development of the night, a passerby who had stopped in the city on his way home, relishing the celebrations of the coming year. Jasper sought to disengage from getting intimate with his meals, but the man continued chattering at the bar for most of the night. It would all be too uncomplicated. At dawn, as the man left his hotel to head to the next town, Jasper would feed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Alice arose when the night was nearly coming to a close, she seemed so astonished to lay her eyes on him, but it was her enthusiasm that allured him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her fragrance was </span>
  <em>
    <span>nothing</span>
  </em>
  <span> like Jasper had ever scented before. It made the blister in his throat feel so ardent he could have taken her right there. But something held him back. Her rushing pulse called to him. He could savor its freshness in his mouth, and yet there was a firm yank blocking him from interrupting her life there. He had estimated inwardly as the petit woman beamed at him. In less than two minutes, he could end all the lives in the room. It would unmistakably drag a lot of stress to him. The Volturi had stringent laws about massive attacks on humans that could threaten their exposure. But her blood would have been worth it. He would have saved her for last, as Jasper desired to cherish her luscious pulse while he downed her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yet, he did no such thing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Instead, he spoke to her casually and patrolled as a woman strengthened in a tremendous amount of evilness came to summon the little pixie.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He saw her apologetically eyes as she was hauled away and Jasper knew then that he wouldn't be able to hurt her. Ever.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The thought still crossed his mind again when he spotted her at the graveyard two weeks later. From inside his home, he observed her spend the afternoon talking to a tomb. The most morbid sight Jasper had ever seen—and he was a man of nearly a hundred years, who had beheld pretty dreadful situations. She was content, though. There was unmistakable longing, but she felt at ease there.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Petrified and fascinated, he inspected her undivided afternoon. Every little move, Jasper stood a guard over her. He often felt too invasive, meddling her privacy that way, and had tried to glance away. Alice was a magnet and, somehow, his eyes continually grounded back on her. As the light began to dim, bestowing a safer opportunity for Jasper to reveal himself without jeopardizing his true identity, he decided to speak to her again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her scent was still intoxicating.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jasper hadn't been as hungry now as he was the last time they met, and yet he felt the burning an uncontrollable tightness in his throat. He didn't mean to startle her and that kicked the animal inside him conscious. Jasper protested internally. He wouldn't hurt her. The man would give its monster an extra feed that night but </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Talking felt easy. Jasper just didn't expect the development it took.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>How could she know his name? Through the days that followed, he had attempted to deliberate probabilities for Alice to have known it. Perhaps she had asked someone during the New Year's celebration. Or someone had chatted upon his arrival in town, and she knew all along.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The feeling that she could possibly have skills that went beyond mundane spanned his mind. Jasper had heard stories about a mental girl in the city. Could it be Alice that they faltered?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When he didn't see Alice for another two weeks, he dreaded the worst. The woman who he had discovered was her stepmother didn't appear to be the most affectionate. Jasper contemplated going up to the house and demand that he see her. But he fretted it might put her into deeper trouble. Then there was also the possibility that she didn't want to see him. If that was the case, he would unquestionably leave her be.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The time they met again brought him all the explanations he'd been looking for.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had been at the beach assisting Peter on his own cover-up situation, since it was a cloudy day, and the two vampires could use up the day outside. Jasper hadn't discussed the rendezvous with the human, so he was relieved Peter had stepped out just a minute before she showed up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She knew about him. She knew he was a vampire because Alice had visions. The astonishing reveal caught Jasper by surprise but ultimately explained the riddle as to why Biloxi seemed to convey such intense revulsion and despair for the oldest Brandon girl. He, for one, prized her even more.</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>The weeks that followed were better. Their bond became more powerful, the closeness definite as they spent days on end together, but the challenges weren't over just yet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The afternoon that preceded Jasper's storming into the Brandon's house was filled with turmoil. Alice had awaited for him by her mother's crypt, pacing impatiently. Her fear was tangible and even Jasper was having an arduous time soothing down her tremors. He rushed to meet her, and, in no time, Alice was secreting her sobs against his chest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Close to each other all felt easier. His hand flowing across her spine assured Alice that the world wasn't such a bad place. At least not when they were together.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He will send me to an asylum." When her cries ceased, Alice blurted out the discovery that had been tormenting her since this morning. "He'll lock me down there for good, Jasper." After the argument with her father, she had stormed out to the house, fearful that the new implication wouldn't permit her to tell Jasper, that it would hinder them from saying goodbye. Because this was what Alice presumed it was. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Farewell</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I won't let him." There was darkness in his voice, but the threads of tranquility involved her. Alice had no clue as to </span>
  <em>
    <span>how</span>
  </em>
  <span> but, deep within, she grasped he would find a way to resolve it all.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"How will you do that?" His somber orbs brought a lump to Alice's throat, her heart's trepidation against her chest. "Will you—?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I won't change you," Alice hadn't mentioned to Jasper that she had seen it befall already. The vision was still snarling, the blur making it all very vague. But it was in her future to become one like him. "But I'll find a way."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was a pledge Jasper was keen to keep. He told Peter and Charlotte about his plan that afternoon. The two could understand in Jasper that force, the need for that human's well being—all too similar to how the couple felt about each other. But it nevertheless baffled them that Jasper had no romantic involvement with Alice. He was her friend, her protector. Peter and Charlotte could never see humans more than what they were: preys. But the brotherhood between the vampires made them put aside their hesitancy about the affair. They'd support Jasper in anything he required.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Jasper marched into the Brandon residence, Peter and Charlotte stood outside, guarding and ready to strike in case things derailed. They would take Alice while Jasper took care of her villain of a father.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Edgar Brandon wasn't charmed to be woken up to converse with the man. He'd seen him around town and had policed as Jasper Whitlock had grown close to his daughter. He was stunned, though, that the man was so pressed that they speak.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Couldn't this wait until morning?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No, Sir." Jasper was firm and intimidating. He didn't really need approval to take Alice far away from him, but he still favored maintaining the looks. When asked by Peter as to why, Jasper reminded all the human had gone through with the loss of her mother and that she still had a sister. Jasper didn't confide to Peter about Alice's vision, but that also added to why he was doing this like that. Fleeing with Alice would have been a thousand times easier, but she would suffer away from her former life, apart from her sister. Jasper could survive a thousand lives of pain, but he wouldn't endure witnessing Alice suffer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What is it that you want, boy?" Edgar poured two glasses of bourbon in between grunts, like he didn't know what was coming.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I have come to ask for your daughter's hand, Mr. Brandon."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Mary Alice? You wish to marry </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> girl?" Jasper had to hold back the hiss over Edgar's arrogance.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I highly doubt Cynthia is at an age to be asked into matrimony." They exchanged a look. The patriarch didn't relish the mockery in Jasper's tone. It was evident that the blonde wasn't striving to be gracious about it. "I feel strongly for Mary Alice and I wish to wed her."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Perhaps because he was a devious force, and Jasper could feel all the depths of rotten that man carried, but Edgar sat back and smirked. He was enjoying himself, very openly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, boy, ain't gonna be achievable."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Why not?" This time, he didn't hold back the hissing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Mary Alice is very ill. She's going to be sent away to be treated—"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"She's not ill." His fists tightened, feeling like he could pulverize the man's skull right there. Did he not comprehend who he was bartering with?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"She is ill, boy. And only a </span>
  <em>
    <span>sick</span>
  </em>
  <span> man would want to marry an ill woman like her." It was too much for Jasper to wield. He smashed a hand on the table, making the wood nearly shatter below his fist. Jasper was flooding panic and fright toward the father, the rush involving him like a tight grasp around the neck. The man winced, at last coming to senses with the monstrosity before him. "I've wasted a great deal already on her being sent away."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"How much?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You couldn't possibly."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I said, </span>
  <em>
    <span>how much</span>
  </em>
  <span>?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Edgar very calmly reached for a piece of paper. He knew nothing of the man's abilities and trying to maintain his dignity made it easier for the empath to sense the swell of sheer terror arising from the man. That's what Jasper coveted, for Edgar to be as horrified as he had made Alice that afternoon. He penned down the number and Jasper removed a fold of bills from his pocket, flinging them on the table. He didn't have to be a psych like Alice to have known her sick father would supplicate for money.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"For your troubles." He censured, putting distance between the two. "I'll take Mary Alice home with me tonight."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I won't allow it. She will be your wife when you wed her, then you can take her home." His greedy claws were all over the money already and Jasper never felt </span>
  <em>
    <span>so</span>
  </em>
  <span> disgusted by a human before. He could kill Edgar now and save them all the trouble.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'll take her right now."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>No one had to go call out for Alice. She had been standing outside all along, Jasper perceived by the sound of her galloping heart. He could recognize her beating pulse miles away. When he stepped out of the room, his hands were immediately reaching to hold her. A brief hug, whilst she buried her face on his chest, mumbling a "</span>
  <em>
    <span>thank you</span>
  </em>
  <span>" only Jasper could hear.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hurry up now. Pack a bag and we'll be off." He wasn't doing her any courtesies if Jasper was fair. The feasibility of being with her, actually marrying that woman, brought on Jasper sentiments he didn't recall possessing any longer. She was everything he would have yearned when he was human, a young boy joining the army. That reality was a past Jasper could no longer see. Alice was a loving human and he was a creature.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Alice was startled to see Peter and Charlotte there, eyes red observing them when they were off the house. Her small figure hid behind Jasper and the three vampires chuckled between themselves.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"They're friends of mine. You're safe." She would always be safe with him, Alice had no doubts.</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was fatigued when they made it to Jasper's home, but reluctant to close her eyes. Her stomach was grumbling, too, as the first glimmers of sunshine invaded the skies. He cursed himself. Jasper wouldn't be able to go out and buy her any food with the lights so bright that day. It had to be when the human in his home was underfed of all days to not be raining.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm sorry I don't have anything to eat here."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Alice shook her head, "I'm not hungry." He appreciated her sentiment of trying to make him not worry, but he could </span>
  <em>
    <span>feel</span>
  </em>
  <span> her hunger. Jasper could relate too, eyes dark in desire for blood—</span>
  <em>
    <span>her</span>
  </em>
  <span> blood.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'll get you something to eat before the sun is too high."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No." Her tone was pleading, hands reaching to touch his. "Please stay. I'm </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> hungry." Alice insisted, but what made him cave was her need for him around. It tangled his emotions, that deep want in her beating heart.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'll stay."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They were quiet for long as Alice drew Jasper to sit with her on the bed. At first, she simply reclined her head against his shoulder, but as the vampire leaned back, she found solace on the chilly embrace. Alice sheltered there, soothing on her newfound appreciation for the cold. Her eyes fought sleep and Jasper could feel all her agitation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He sent her lethargic waves that made her yawn.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I don't want to sleep, Jazz."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Why? You're exhausted."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I don't want you to leave me alone…" She was scared, Jasper realized then because of her father and the menaces he had put her through.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I won't go anywhere. I'm right here." He would keep his promise, even if it meant a great deal of difficulty later to get her something to eat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Why did you ask him that?" She prompted herself up to look at him, eyes cloudy with sleep.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"To wed you?" Alice nodded. "So, he wouldn't send you away." It was a very genius plan, she was grateful for it, but that wasn't the answer she had been anticipating for.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That's all?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jasper weighed the possibilities. Expressing his feelings would hinder everything. He knew the lure he had as a predator and he didn't wish to lead her on to consider anything between them could ever be achievable. He felt strongly for her, but it didn't mean she had to undergo the same. He could be her guardian, her friend, for as long as she coveted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So he lied, "Yes."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was immediate sorrow when he felt her disappointment. Her eyes were unmoving, though, not believing him for a minute.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"So, this is nothing but a facade? And arranged marriage?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yes." Jasper cursed himself mentally as he repeated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Alice drew herself away from his arms, moving to sit on the corner of the bed. She looked even tinier, legs brought up to her chest, crawled up with her face hiding on her knees. He caught the little sob and grunted at himself for making her cry.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Alice, I—" There were no right words to be said, perhaps only the truth. But Jasper wasn't entirely certain himself how to say it. "This would never work… You know </span>
  <em>
    <span>what</span>
  </em>
  <span> I am."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And yet, I do not care." Her words were fierce when her eyes met his, intense and watery, frustrated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Alice."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No, Jasper. I've seen it. Us." Firm, she decided to sit up, kneeling on the bed to snake close to him again. "Stop dreading that you'll hurt me. I know you won't."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You can't know that." The scanty chance of him causing her that pain clenched his guts. What if he didn't stop? What if he killed her?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You overprotective fool… Haven't you heard yet that I know </span>
  <em>
    <span>everything</span>
  </em>
  <span>?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jasper caught her off guard, shifting and holding her down on the mattress too quickly. She felt her stomach turn for the way his body hovered hers, his face hung remarkably close. Her heart was leaping perhaps one too many beats.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Is this what you want? To be like me?" Alice couldn't utter the answer, so she just agreed, observing Jasper lower himself to her neck.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She arched for him, a free passage to her jugular, hands clasping onto his back securely and steady. Jasper nudged her neck with his nose, taking a deep breath in, her perfume intoxicating every inch of his soul. The vampire was immediately alert. He lowered more and it was the erosion of Jasper's entire body against hers that made Alice gasp. Jasper's mouth grazed her collar, savoring the vibration of her pulse against his marble lips. She was ready to be like him, forever his.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>What's gonna happen now? Guesses? Stay tuned!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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